A pervert downloaded more than 1,000 illegal images of children to feed an "addiction". John Claridge, who worked for Castle Bingo at the time, was caught with the vile collection when police raided his home.
The 45-year-old, of Porthcawl, was at home with his fiancée and child at 7.40am on October 7, 2021, when officers searched the property. Claridge admitted there were indecent images on his Samsung laptop but officers also found some on his Sony laptop, Newport Crown Court heard.
He had used a special browser to access the dark web. In total there were 382 images in Category A – the most serious – as well as 307 in Category B and 452 in Category C. There were also three images in the 'prohibited' category, meaning they were not photographs.
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Claridge, who had no previous convictions, told police he did not know how the habit started. He said his family used one of the laptops but he would hide the images from them. And in his interview with a probation officer he said he had felt "addicted" to the material.
The defendant, of New Road, pleaded guilty to possession of the images. His solicitor advocate Adam Sharp said Claridge had lived a "very normal life" before his arrest. He had married in 2011 but the relationship came to an end in "acrimonious circumstances" in 2018 and this "affected his mental wellbeing", the court heard.
Mr Sharp said: "He has been upfront with his employers. He was working for Castle Bingo at the time of the arrest and was no longer able to continue in that role. He then obtained work as an Amazon delivery worker for 10 months. It was determined that he should no longer work there upon his pleading guilty and making his employer aware. That is something he did voluntarily. He is someone who has always worked until very recently."
The solicitor added that Claridge was in a "particularly low mood" at the time of the offences and has shown "genuine remorse" by taking up online courses to address his issues. He described the defendant as "forthcoming and candid" with police.
Mr Sharp called for Claridge to be spared an immediate jail term and pointed out he would lose his temporary accommodation if imprisoned. Claridge, who has lost contact with his child, has been "forced to reflect on the reality of what he did in conversations with his family, current partner, employer and associates," the solicitor told the court.
Judge Richard Williams said the material showed children being "subjected to the worst kinds of sexual abuse". He took into account that the probation service deemed Claridge to pose a "medium" risk of causing serious harm to children but also that he would be considered "vulnerable" in prison and had a "reasonable prospect" of rehabilitation.
The judge imposed a 12-month prison term suspended for two years. Claridge must complete 40 days of rehabilitation and pay £420 in prosecution costs. He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years. You can read more of the latest Welsh court stories here.
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